And these will be key issues when leader Sir Albert Bore faces a challenge from backbencher Coun John Clancy at next weekend’s annual Labour group meeting.

Labour held a few seats, such as Longbridge and Shard End, with very slender majorities and councillors in those areas will be feeling the pressure ahead of next year’s elections.

But others have been supportive of Sir Albert, highlighting the rise of UKIP and the impact of a joint Euro election.

Sir Albert Bore said: “It never was going to be a night of big gains for us, we were always looking to pick up a few here and there.”

He rejected the idea that the garden waste issue had played a part and highlighted the fact that in some parts of the city, such as Stockland Green, Labour had increased its majority.

The undoubted winners were the Tories who gained new councillors in Kingstanding and Kings Norton.

Deputy leader coun Robert Alden, who successfully defended his Erdington seat, said: “It was a good night for us. It shows that you don’t run local services properly - and we have the farce of the garden tax and the schools - you pay the price at the ballot box.”

The Lib Dems finished three seats down at a time when the party has slumped in the national polls. But they held all four seats in the Yardley constituency, where MP John Hemming is fighting a bitter campaign to hold his Parliamentary seat in the 2015 general election.

Mr Hemming said that Labour had dropped a clanger with the garden waste. “The bins were a very big issue. It shows the Labour Party has made a mess of running the council and will make a mess if they are allowed to run the country.”

Although UKIP failed to gain a seat in Birmingham it did get within 37 votes in Shard End and came close in Longbridge.

UKIP spokesman Keith Rowe said: "Our vote is up, we have taken votes across the board, particularly from Labour."